Rachel Levy: Social Media & Marketing

I had an opportunity recently to interview Diane Darling from Effective Networking and wanted to pass along what I learned from her. I also watched a video from a presentation she made to the Salty Legs Networking Group, so I have also incorporated her advice from that as well.

To me, one of the most valuable things that Diane said was her definition of Networking: Building of relationships before you need them. I think this is a great definition, as many people (including myself) build up their network during a job search, and then stop being in contact with their network once they have a job.  This definition encourages people to continue networking even when they are not looking for a job.

Communication

Most of us have heard that your body language and HOW you actually say something are more important than the words you use.  But, Diane shared the numbers behind that information, which really brought the point home for me.  Based on these numbers, “every time you send an email, you forfeit 93% of your communication”.  Wow!  I do tend to use email a lot, as it’s easier and faster, but think I should start to reconsider that.  When you talk on the phone, you’re still only getting 45% of the communication.

Another tip Diane gave was when you are calling someone at the recommendation of someone else, start with the connection first.  So, “Susan suggested I call you about working in Marketing at your company.  My name is Rachel Levy.”  As opposed to “This is Rachel Levy…. “  It’s easier for the person to hear it that way first to connect the dots in their head.

What is a network?

Diane also described that everyone should look at their entire database of contacts in the following format:

• Database - Everyone in all of your contact databases (email, LinkedIn, personal address book, Twitter, etc.).
• Network - These are the people who would return your phone calls!  They’re people you are in touch with and you trust.  Based on statistics, this group shouldn’t be more than 200-250 people, as after that amount, it’s more difficult to stay in touch with people.
• Inner Circle - People you could go to to ask their advice about what they think you should be doing for a living.  Diane actually surveyed her Inner Circle with 4-5 questions about this, including asking them what her strengths and weaknesses are.  Great idea!
• Personal Board of Advisers (PBA) - These are the people who should champion you in your life.  It’s like a Board of Directors, but for you, rather than for a company.  You should have about 4-5 people on your PBA each year.
• Friends, Family or Fools (FFF) – This is an obvious group… and Diane says “These people have to like you”!!

Each of these groups should be looked at in a different way and used for different purposes.  Not everyone in your database should be called for a networking meeting.

Tips for attending networking events or job fairs

The most important thing you can do for a job fair is to have a plan of what you want to achieve before you go.  Many people have a goal of “collecting x number of business cards”, but these aren’t necessarily meaningful connections for you.  You should decide ahead of time who the companies are that you want to work for, and find them, or find people who know someone who works at that company.

Obviously you should bring business cards with you.  Diane suggests printing your skills on the back of your card.  I do something slightly different, where I show what type of position I’m looking for: “Marketing professional seeking a position where I will be able to make an impact in my areas of strength of social media, branding, strategy, advertising and online marketing.” I think both methods help the person remember who you are after meeting you.  Also on your card, you should add your website address and an email address that is professional or represents you.  Do not include your home address on your card (oops, I guess I need to reprint my cards!).  I would also suggest adding your LinkedIn profile address and your Twitter ID to your card.

Give people you meet 3 bullets about you and what you’re looking for. Be clear and concise, so they can remember what you said.

One of the parts of networking that I personally find the most difficult is how to end a conversation.  Diane suggests something simple like “It was great seeing you.  I look forward to crossing paths again.”

Bring a small notebook with you to take down your follow-up notes, and send everyone you met an email after the event.  Categorize the people you met into the following groups:

A – Action – need to connect them with someone

B – Want to have coffee with

C – Whenever/If Ever – Nice conversation, but no immediate need to connect with them

Random Thoughts

The rest of this post includes some miscellaneous insights Diane said that I wanted to pass on!

• If you’re looking for a job, say you’re looking for a job — don’t just say you’re networking.
• Be careful not to act like this when networking… “you’re not important, but your Rolodex rocks”.
• If you’re out of practice with networking, talk to people where it’s unlikely that anything would happen from the meeting… “learn on a junky car, not a Porche”.
• If the person says their company is not hiring, you can say “I might know someone in your network that I can help you with” or “I’d like to understand your business, maybe there are some ideas I can come up with” or simply “Thank you”.
• Network with job searchers because they are “in the know” about open jobs.
• Email isn’t bad, just don’t get dependent on it.
• You need to be involved in Social Media (LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter) as it shows you’re relevant today.  But, it should be the beginning of the conversation, not where you should stop.  Diane calls this “hybrid networking”, where you use the online and the offline together.  For example you meet someone online, and then go have have coffee with them.  What I described in my “Using Social Media in a Job Search” post about Diane Hessan is a good example of this.
• “Before Google, there was gossip.  Now you have a role in creating your reputation.”  You can really see who people are online, and how they behave as a person.

My own personal advice is “JUST ASK”… ask anyone and everyone you want to network with if they will network with you! The worst that can happen is that they say no.  I recently attended a panel session with CMO’s of Boston area companies.  I didn’t meet them personally (except for Diane Hessan), but found their contact information and made arrangements to meet with them.  I have sought out people on Twitter who work for companies that interest me, and just asked if they would meet with me.  Most people are very open to it if they have the time.

What do you think of Diane’s tips and my thoughts?  Anything else to add about networking?